The Java are still visiting me daily at the house and on occasion I get the camera out. I have stopped setting out seed for the masses because the group was getting too large and the neighborhood cats were coming by for an easy hunt. Recently, there have been a number of chicks and fledglings which are offspring of a core group of visitors. One of them has become quite familiar.

It is at the bottom of the pecking order and its visits are often cut short by adults who chase it away.

These birds seem quite social in that they flock together when food is around but they are quite aggressive and beyond tolerance shown to a mate, they can be downright mean to other birds in staking their claim to the seed! A few weeks ago, a fledgling showed up on my rear deck and it seemed to have severely damaged one of its feet. It would use a wing as a crutch and was slow to hobble around on the deck and not quick to take flight. The other birds and even the one familiar chick would send this unfortunate fellow off tumbling away. The chick showed up again the next day and seemed lethargic compared to the other birds and I was able to go up to it and give it some seed on the deck as it didn't seem to have enough energy to even fly away. I had serious doubts as to its ability to survive and the experience prompted me to pick up a bird cage at the pet store a couple days later. I didn't see this chick for a number of days and feared it had passed on or become cat food.

Out of curiosity, I put seed in one of the feeder trays in the bird cage and set it on the table with the door wired open. In no time there were birds going in and out and when they would get startled inside the cage, it was quite a spectacle and I decided to retire the cage from open house.

One morning, some days later, I saw the disabled chick out on the rear deck, It would drag its one foot as if it had no control of it. I was pleased to see it still alive but it sure didn't look like it was faring too well. I went out and was able to get it some seed but I had to intervene and keep the other birds away. Should I attempt to catch this bird and cage it?!? The bird was seemingly so weak and wouldn't take flight when the rest of the birds did. I easily caught the bird and put it in the cage. I figured I would give it some safe time and food and water and give it a shot at getting its strength back. The bird was quite clumsy in the cage and had difficulty alighting to a perch and then staying on it. Its left leg and foot was useless.

The next day the bird showed more energy and even seemed to have some use of its left foot and leg. By the afternoon, I saw it use its left leg and foot and at times it seemed its right foot was the impaired one?!? The next day, the bird showed much more life and was even reasonably adept at navigating in the cage but certainly no match for its feathered friends. I was feeling mixed emotions about keeping this bird caged and decided to open the door and let it make the call. For quite a while, it seemed that it was aware of the open door and even stuck its head outside a couple times. However, it would visit the seed tray as well as the water tray and it didn't take off. At one point, an adult java showed up and went into the cage and shoved the chick away from the food. Something startled the adult and it took flight and shortly after the chick also took flight from the cage. Well hopefully the short time in isolation gave the chick a chance to get its energy up.

That evening, I went up on the roof to watch the whales and sunset and took some seed in film cans to feed some friends at the same time. At one point, I saw a neighborhood cat slinking up the driveway looking to be seriously on the hunt. I have seen this cat leave my yard with a java in mouth a number of times. I got off the roof and went around to the drive way to investigate. The cat was crouched and looking ready to jump up onto the neighbor's fence. On the top of the fence was the disabled chick precariously perched with one leg dangling. I startled the cat and chased it away and then went up to the fence. I held some seed in my hand up to the bird. It was quite lethargic but seemed to perk up a bit and leaned down to get some seed. After eating a few seeds, it stretched down towards my hand and lost its hold on the fence and fell into my hand but its lame foot slipped between the two fence boards and got stuck in the process. I closed my hand over the bird to restrain it and used my other hand to free its stuck foot. I decided that this bird was not ready to be out and if I left it free, it would likely not survive. I put it back in the cage.

The bird has now been in the cage for a few days and every day it seems to be better and stronger. It has gained use of both of its feet and can navigate from perch to perch much better. I still see times when one or the other foot is not being used with a good grip. I plan to keep it in the cage for another week or so and then open the door once again. In the mean time, I alter the cage from hanging under eves of the front Lanai most of the time to a mid day location out in the sun on top of a storage shed. The caged chick has visitors at all times and although it seems that the visitors mostly have their eye on the seed they can't get to, I would like to think there is more of a bond also in play. The other fledglings seem to hang about often and I wonder if this has become an accepted nursery for the group.

Just this morning while putting this page together, another chick perched on the top of the cage and proceeded to get some sleep. If I would make some noise or get up for some coffee or when I went to grab the camera, it would open its eyes and follow me with its head for a moment and then tuck its head back and close its eyes.

A titanium pan which I had used as a feeder on the front lanai rail has now been installed on the rear deck rail and serves as a bird bath. It is right next to my outdoor shower head. I haven't had any javas join me with them bathing while I shower but you never know...

The bird above and to the left was waiting its turn and it really needed a bath! It has red dirt on its cheek. I didn't pay any attention to how well it did in the bath and these guys didn't seem thrilled that I was photographing them while they tended to their cleaning.

Back to the caged fledgling, "BumFoot". Its fledgling (sibling) friend would return each day and get some sleep while perched on the top of the cage. Meantime, inside BumFoot showed more and more energy and had become quite talkative. In addition to the full volume chirps the other Java's make, it would at times seem to be mumbling at a much quieter level while outside, its kin tried to ignore it, me and any other noise that kept it from some sleep.

BumFoot really seemed ready and anxious to get back out there. In the evenings when the visitors would leave to head to their night time rests, it would get quite active and flutter around in its cage. It was time. One afternoon I opened the cage and stood back. It took BumFoot a while to figure out or perhaps stumble out the door. It flew to a roof close by and next door and proceeded to hop around on the roof and take tentative short hovering flights above the roof.

It looked like test flights and landings to me. BumFoot had some issues with a clean two foot landing and perching on the rain gutter it would often miss with its left foot but it would correct and get both feet under it. It didn't always fold its wings completely while perched and I suppose this was a throw back to when it needed to use them for support.

Another fledgling which I suspect was its sleepy friend was perched a couple houses away up on the second story rain gutter. BumFoot left its test area and joined this other bird. They were too far away to photograph which was unfortunate because the interaction was quite heart warming. The birds nestled together side by side and the friend took some time grooming BumFoot and for want of a better term, hugged it. The behavior was what you see in adult mates. A while later, BumFoot was back in my yard and not knowing if I would see it again, I took some more photos.

That evening (last night) BumFoot showed up at dusk and I think it was confused and uncertain as to where it was going to spend the night. It hovered around the cage a couple times and would land in various places on the front lanai where the cage has been. It was on the glass table looking up at the cage when a late visiting adult joined it on the table and proceeded to attack BumFoot's feet; ultimately chasing BumFoot away and into the twilight. The notion of survival of the fittest is certainly supported in viewing the Java Finches and their interactions.

The next morning (today - 01-31-08) I am pleased to report that BumFoot showed up on the front lanai and we had a moment of one on one while it ate some seed on the table next to my typing hands as I set about composing this latest entry. The moment was broken when it was joined by an adult regular and as I finish this sentence here, BumFoot is hopefully out there somewhere among other Javas and doing what Javas do best; something I am still trying to figure out...

A photo I took a few days ago and it gave me call to consider what MightyMouse would look like if he were a bird:

Back to BumFoot, he has been returning daily to the house and back to his cage. We are getting close to an arrangement where he will go into the cage and as I approach, any adults usually take flight leaving him by himself. I then put his feed tray in place and close the door so he can eat in peace for a while. I will eventually open the door back up and sometimes remove the seed tray and others leave in in place for some of the others to get a bite to eat.

In some of the images like directly above, you can see the seed husk stuck to the birds beaks. They are often wiping their beaks on whatever is handy and that includes your arm or sleeve. BumFoot will often break from the seed tray and go over for some water and then back to the seed tray. In the image above, He had recently done just that and then I opened the door and in came the adults and BumFoot decided to take off.

A month later and BumFoot is spending more time with the flock and misses a day or two of special treatment in the cage. He came in yesterday eve for some solo eats:

His dexterity has improved and it looks like he will make it to adulthood OK. I noticed he has lost the last digit on one of his claws (left foot) but the stub looked pink and healthy. For a while the digit was black and obviously "dead".

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A couple months later and BumFoot is still showing up with the rest of the Javas and the last couple days, I treated him to a "private" meal in the cage where I close the gate after him keeping the others from taking over. He hasn't received any special attention since the last images were taken above. Well there might have been a special meal here and there a month ago... Yesterday I took out the camera and got a couple shots of him along with others. He is looking rather motly these days as he is getting in some adult plumage now and he lost his tail feathers somehow. His left foot looks healthy but is missing the last digit and claw if that's what they are called.